Previous grant recipients must have met reporting requirements in order to be eligible to receive funding.

Two or more organizations that satisfy the eligibility criteria may apply to collaborate to operate a summer arts school program. A partnership project must be submitted through one primary organization. The primary organization must designate the main contact for all requirements of the grant.

Partnership projects must demonstrate that:

control and responsibilities in the partnership are shared equally amongst all partners

knowledge and practices will be shared and exchanged for the benefit of all project partners

the partnership results in activity that is beyond the normal programming of partnering organizations

the project could not be otherwise completed without the existence of the partnership

Ineligible organizations

Ineligible organizations are:

municipalities

commercial enterprises

schools

groups that are not arm’s length from municipalities, commercial enterprises or schools

organizations that engage primarily in competition-based activity

What does this grant support

Eligible summer school projects must:

consist of residence-based art-intensive camp programs of no less than five (5) consecutive days in length where students are provided with supervision, meals and overnight accommodation

take place between July 1 and August 31

deliver arts programming to students ages 11-19 years

provide students access to Alberta's professional artists and instructors

provide a daily regime of workshops and other hands-on activities for students to learn arts skill techniques and actively engage in creative process learning

provide adequate participant supervision and safety requirements

deliver age-appropriate curriculum and course content

encourage participants to discover and express their creative potential

provide workshops and other activity in an appropriate inclusive environment

encourage province-wide participation

Eligible expenses

Applicants may apply for up to 40% of eligible expenses that are directly related to carrying out the proposed project, such as:

administration

programming

instructor and artist fees

promotional costs

accommodation and classroom arrangements

equipment rental costs and related extracurricular activities

supervisory staff

course and content development

food and lodging

materials and supplies

other expenses considered by the AFA to be reasonable and necessary

Ineligible expenses

Expenses and activities that are ineligible for AFA funding include:

activities eligible for funding or already funded by AFA

activity undertaken before an application is submitted to this project grant stream. Projects must not start before the application is received by the AFA

projects or programs offered by affiliated organizations that are eligible for funding under other AFA programs

expenses related to eligible projects or programs that are covered by the institution (e.g. facility costs, permanent staff salaries, overhead costs) Summer schools operated by organizations whose permanent staff contribute significantly to the administration, promotion and operation of the school can declare up to 15% of permanent staff salaries, and must include a description of the applicable work undertaken by permanent staff

purchases such as buildings or property, or capital development such as construction or renovations

How to apply

We only accept applications through the Grant Administration Tracking and Evaluation (GATE) online application system. We must receiveyour online application through GATEno later than 11:59 pm Mountain Time on the deadline date, unless the deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend when it will be extended until the next working day. Please give the system time to process your application so that the AFA receives notification of your submission before the deadline falls.

GATE username registration

First-time applicants will require a GATE username and password. Contact us via email at least five business days prior to the application deadline.

Please include:
1. the contact name of the individual responsible for preparing your application
2. the legal name of your organization
3. the contact person’s email address

The GATE username and password will be sent to the email address provided.

organization applicant agreement: An Applicant Agreement with e-signature of signing authority designate for the organization

summer school participation report: Number of Participants per Age Range and geographic area for the organization’s most recent residence-based art program

current board List: A list of all current members of the board of Directors, including names, titles, complete mailing addresses, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses

project expenses: Complete the online form providing a detailed budget in Canadian dollars, indicating all projected summer school expenditures

project budget: The difference between expenditures and revenues will comprise the grant request to the AFA and cannot exceed 40% of the proposed budget.

project revenue: Complete the online form providing a detailed, budget in Canadian dollars, indicating all projected non-AFA revenues.

Attachments

Attachments must be developed prior to application, using either original documents specific to your organization or preformatted AFA templates, and uploaded to your online GATE submission.

The GATE attachment section indicates that not all attachments are required for submission. This is because they are only required for certain types of projects (e.g. marketing plan for a marketing project). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all attachments noted in the guidelines are submitted with their application.

You’ll be required to complete and upload the following attachments in PDF format:

resumes of curriculum designers, instructors, and other principal organizers (no more than four pages each) outlining their professional arts background, including training and any previous experience with delivering arts training to youth, or job descriptions if positions have yet to be filled

a detailed description of the arts summer school program to be offered, including:

list of workshops and description of arts skills training and engagement in the creative process

detailed daily program schedule

materials and supplies (if applicable)

number of students

program structure, fees and registration

contracting instructors, technical and participant supervisory staff

extra-curricular activities, if applicable

food and lodging arrangements

other logistical and administrative functions required for an arts summer school operation

copies of promotional material and public communications materials related to the summer school

a description of the organization’s history of providing arts training programs

the organization’s most recent approved annual financial statement of revenue and expenditure

a confirmation of filing of the most recent return from Alberta Corporate Registry

a copy of the organization’s Sexual and Workplace Harassment Policy for summer school staff and participants, with confirmation that this policy has been formally adopted within the past year

a marketing plan detailing province wide promotion of the program

for partnership projects, a copy of the contract or letter of agreement that indicates the responsibilities of each partner, and the knowledge, resources and experience that each will contribute

additional support materials that may assist in the assessment process. These may include but are not limited to, promotional literature, programs, or newsletters

all video and audio files must be Windows compatible, MP3 and MP4 files are preferred

wherever possible, support material should be uploaded as an attachment into GATE (up to 4 MB)

if your support material is too large to upload, please mail a hard copy CD or USB to 10708 – 105 Ave, Edmonton, AB, T5H 0A1. Please include your first name, last name and project number on the CD or USB

Applicants may be asked for additional information.

Applicants may submit only one application to this grant stream per arts discipline.

Partnerships

Applications for partnership projects must be submitted through one primary organization. The primary organization must designate the main contact for all requirements of the grant. Each organization involved in a partnership project must submit financial statements and confirmation of their corporate registries return.

How will my application be assessed

The annual AFA budget is based upon funds allocated in the annual Government of Alberta budget and funding for this grant stream is established by the AFA board of Directors.

Staff convene an expert panel to consider all eligible grant applications submitted to each grant deadline. The expert panel assesses the merit of each application both on its own terms and in relation to all other applications received for a given deadline.

Assessment of a project is based on the following general criteria

merit of curriculum

merit of marketing plan

impact of the program on participants

applicant’s history of providing training programs

artistic and technical level of instructors

instructors level of experience teaching arts to youth

appropriateness of summer school budget

the ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed project

The expert panel will be encouraged ensure support is provided to projects in a variety of arts disciplines. All decisions are final. Funding is not assured for any project.

When will I hear

All grant recommendations are reviewed by the AFA board of directors at their annual September board meeting and successful recipients will be notified in October.

Conditions

Funding is intended for the purposes described in your application. By accepting funding, you agree to undertake the project as proposed in your original project description.

If you do not receive the full grant amount requested, you are still required to complete the project as proposed if you accept the grant:

you must return the grant funds if the project cannot be completed as proposed

If you require a change to your project including outcomes, location or an extension to your final report due date:

you must submit a request in writing for approval by the AFA

the request must be submitted prior to the change being made and/or before your final report is due

the AFA may consider a single extension per funding opportunity

Funding recipients are responsible for informing the AFA of how funds were spent and outcomes of the project:

you must return funds if reporting requirements are not met

you must return unused portions of funding to the AFA

Any funding recipient who does not provide a report prior to the date noted in the successful notification document, or does not fulfill any conditions associated with a grant or whose report is not approved will be made delinquent and ineligible for further funding from the AFA for a period of three years from the time the delinquency is resolved.

In addition to reporting requirements, applicants may be required to provide interim activity reports, financial reports or statements and other information deemed necessary by the AFA or its representatives. The AFA, or its authorized representative, may examine the applicant's financial and other records to ensure that the grant is being, or was used for its intended purpose.

the AFA will retain all materials submitted with grant applications

the AFA does not provide advances for any grant

Funding acknowledgement

Whenever possible, you must acknowledge the AFA for financial support in any publicity prepared in relation to the project, including electronic, print or visual material.

Helpful resources

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